Dispatches from the new Russian empire

Kristen + Russia = Love

Greetings from Russia. I made it– I’m finally here and so far everything is exceeding expections. But where to begin on my adventures thus far? The severe lack of internet connectivity in my life coupled with being in class from 9am to 8pm every night has left me living in a vacuum. Today is the first time in the past week I have read the New York Times. I had no idea that Michigan had beat Minnesota or that a helicopter had crashed in New York City; on the one hand, unplugging has had considerable therapeutic effects but it has also left me in the dark.

The trip began with a small hiccup that turned into a nice adventure. Ironies aside, I was stranded in Warsaw for 24 hours last Saturday. This time, however, the cause was not due to a lack of proper paperwork and an abundance of idiocy, but rather a delayed flight and a missed connection in Warsaw. Fortunately, while waiting in a line that lacked logical progression for four hours I met another girl in the course I was headed for in Saint Petersburg. Our many similarities quickly became apparent and I realized that I had just met my first friend. Hooray!

We eagerly accepted the free hotel room voucher from Lot Airlines and headed into Warsaw for the night to check it out. And let me just say that before I had ever stepped foot in Poland it had been my favorite country. Having stepped foot in it only seals the deal for me. Warsaw was awesome and full of really good vibes. My new friend Lindsay and I sat in the Oldtown square and drank giant glasses of Pilsner Urquells’ and ruminated on our past adventure in Russia and all of the ones yet to be had. It was the perfect way to begin my trip!